PAOK beat Lamia to inch closer to title
GREEK SUPERLEAGUE - MATCHDAY 27
| PAOK | 3 - 0 | Lamia |
|---|---|---|
| Pedro Henrique 34' Shakhov 78' Biseswar 83' |
PAOK edged ever closer to their first league title in 34 years as they deservedly defeated Lamia 3-0 at the Toumba on Sunday night.
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Pedro Henrique’s first-half goal, a Yevhen Shakhov header and a superb Diego Biseswar goal proved more than enough for Razvan Lucescu’s unbeaten Thessaloniki team to seal another three-point haul as they march inexorably towards a long-awaited SuperLeague crown.
The home side did have further chances to add to the scoreline even more, but it was unnecessary against mid-table Lamia, who offered very little in the way of a goal threat throughout this Matchday 27 encounter.
The victory, combined with Olympiacos hammering Panetolikos 5-0, means that PAOK could not pop the champagne tonight, but they will next weekend as long as they pick up another three points.
THE MATCH
An expectant Toumba gave their team the perfect platform to get the job done, providing a typical wall of sound in the Thessaloniki spring sunshine as the match kicked off.
PAOK, who were without winger Leo Jaba, seemed eager to get the points locked up right from the kick off, but they approach play lacked its usual finesse, and it took the hosts 18 minutes to register a first significant goal threat.
And it came from a set-piece with Lamia forward Jerónimo Barrales’ poor clearance finding its way to Fernando Varela, whose header narrowly missed the target.
That first effort prompted the visitors into life, and Lamia broek forward in numbers just a minute later with Lazar Romanić feeding Jean Luc Assoubre, but the Ivory Coast midfielder’s shot flashed wise of the left post.
PAOK responded in kind with plenty of possession and pressure, and they were rewarded with the opening goal in the 34th minute through Enrique.
There were no further significant scoring chances in the first half as PAOK took their 1-0 lead into the dressing rooms with them at the break.
PAOK then began the second half looking to find a second goal to kill off the match, and they almost got it 10 minutes after the restart when Shakhov was sent clean through on goal. The Ukrainian midfielder was thwarted by Lamia keeper Bojan Saranov, however, and Chuba Akpom failed to convert the rebound, although he has flagged for offside in any case.
The second goal finally came in the 78th minute when Biseswar picked out Shakhov with a precise cross, and this time the Ukrainian made no mistake with a powerful header.
It was then Biseswar’s turn to get among the goals with a great individual effort with seven minutes left, the Dutch midfielder picking up possession in the left channel and skipping past the challenge of Mark Asigba before scoring with a measured, right-footed shot.
STARTING LINEUPS
PAOK: 31 Paschalakis (GK), 20 Vieirinha, 15 Crespo, 5 Varela, 3 Leo Matos, 26 Oliveira, 28 Shakhov, 21 Biseswar, 10 Pelkas, 90 Pedro Henrique, 47 Akpom
Lamia: 1 Saranov (GK), 4 Adejo, 6 Bejarano, 8 Pliatsikas, 9 Barales, 10 Bertolio, 12 Assoubre, 18 Romanic, 21 Dimoutsos, 27 Vanderson
HIGHLIGHTS: PAOK - LAMIA
